“Our sector runs on huge goodwill” | Ben Slimm on work-to-rule at MTU
For Ben Slimm, the first days of Fórsa’s work-to-rule at Munster Technological University (MTU) are revealing something that members have known for a long time: the sector depends on workers routinely sucking it up and going the extra mile.
Ben works in professional services at MTU and is chair of Fórsa’s Higher Education branch. Since the work-to-rule began, members have stopped working overtime, are sticking to their core hours and are withdrawing cooperation with a range of additional duties.
For Ben, the principle behind it is straightforward.
“Our sector runs on huge goodwill. Our members go above and beyond for students and staff to make sure that the student experience is flawless. Really, the start of that industrial action is a removal of all the goodwill that our sector has worked on.”
And rather than members stepping back from the union as industrial action gets underway, Ben says the opposite is happening.
Since notice of industrial action was served, the branch has gained approximately 160 new members - growth of around 10%.
“Rather than members being annoyed at this, they’re saying: actually, this is an action we have to take part in. We want to be part of Fórsa, and we see the good that the union is doing here.”
Behind that support is a combination of rising living costs and a deeper feeling among professional services staff that their contribution has been undervalued.
Ben points to the work members do every day with students dealing with admissions, access, finance and fees. Much of that work is largely invisible when everything is running smoothly.
But at the same time, members are increasingly struggling with the basics themselves.
“Can they afford to put kerosene in their tank or diesel in their car to get to work? I think we’re moving into a space where you’re living to work rather than working to live. We're developing a class of people in this country now where we have working poor people.”
For members who already feel their work is undervalued, Ben says the pressure on pay has brought things to a head.
“When you start to feel disrespected on pay, that’s when it really starts to bite. People say: I can barely afford to pay for my groceries. I’m not feeling like a member of staff that’s valued within my sector.”
The strength of feeling was reflected in the branch ballot, where Ben says 80% of eligible members voted, with 96% backing industrial action.
Now that the work-to-rule is underway, his message to Government is short:
“Get to the table. Negotiate in good faith.”
“People are eager to get going” | Karen Condon on work-to-rule at University Hospital Kerry
At University Hospital Kerry, Karen Condon says Fórsa members weren’t reluctant about beginning work-to-rule. Quite the opposite.
Karen is a staff officer in the hospital’s Quality, Risk and Patient Safety Department and a Fórsa branch secretary. After months of frustration, she says members were ready to act.
“Speaking to colleagues, they’re actually eager to get going. They’ve been waiting long enough. The ballot showed that people want this to happen. They’re willing to participate.”
And one of the things the work-to-rule is exposing is how much pressure staff have already been absorbing. In health, one element of the action means members no longer covering vacant posts. Karen says there are numerous positions waiting to be filled, with colleagues routinely picking up the work left behind. Union posters dot the corridors on the issue.
“There are a lot of posts waiting to be filled. The work has been done by the goodwill of all colleagues at the moment, and we need to highlight that these posts need to be filled. People are struggling. They’re under severe pressure at work.”
With that goodwill now being withdrawn, the gaps become much harder to hide.
“There are jobs that need to be done that cannot be done now because the work-to-rule is in place. It potentially could affect waiting lists. It will affect the running of the service essentially where the service was being run on goodwill.”
But pressure inside the workplace is only part of what members are talking about.
Karen says conversations about pay very quickly come back to ordinary household costs: groceries, fuel and supporting a family.
“It’s down to the basics. It’s groceries… People with families are struggling. Even fuel - even myself, I noticed lately to fill my car has gone up about €15 in a couple of months. People just can’t keep it going.”
That experience is feeding into strong support for the action on the ground. Karen says turnout in the ballot at University Hospital Kerry was over 73%.
And since the work-to-rule began, she says the sense of solidarity has been striking.
“The solidarity is unbelievable. People are constantly coming up looking to get involved. People really are behind us this time.”
For Karen, the message she wants Government to take from the opening days of the dispute is simple.
“Without the public sector workers, the place will stop. I want you to remember that.”
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